Ten of Diamonds
by AwesomePP
Summary: It's hard playing against your enemy- you hope for the best, you deduce and you guess. Sometimes, your guesses are correct and you relish in victory. But for me, correct guesses aren't something you want to come true. Zach's POV of DJGC.
1. Chapter 1

_Cammie always thought I knew too much and it annoyed her. A lot. She wanted full, complete answers and not a wild chase around half of the globe just to find a tiny piece of a puzzle. _

_The problem is, I didn't really search for clues- I guessed. _

_And everything I saw came horribly close to my guesses._

_Foreboding instincts are the worst. _

_-Z_

* * *

I've always had known that Mom had powerful friends. I guessed that she had eyes and ears everywhere. Or at least the Circle has. I never thought it was impossible that there was a mole at the highest level of security in the CIA, MI6, KGB…you name it.

But I'd never guessed that she had friends powerful enough to drop me in Missouri and create a whole new identity in Preston Winter's security detail. It was impressive that a guy codenamed 'Hawk' with wild, white hair and a bushy mustache could just magically appear beside the potential First Son's side for the rest of the campaign trail.

The most important thing is that Mom or the Circle always acts with ulterior motives. And that motive had to do with Preston Winters because I had to steal his itinerary.

Or maybe Macey McHenry because she was a Gallagher Girl and was in the room just down the hallway and I had to hack into one of the itineraries' files to change the location of her film promotional video to Level R.

Or maybe Cammie Morgan because I overheard Macey saying that she was coming to visit.

* * *

"Mr. Winters," I said in my fake Southern accent. "We're here."

"And where is 'here'?" Preston asked.

"Boston."

Preston swallowed and rubbed his Spiderman watch. "Right, let's go."

* * *

**Number of times the lady with the clipboard ordered the McHenry family to do something cheesy and ridiculous: 19**

**Number of times the Clipboard Lady was being way too annoying: 19**

**Number of times I was sorely tempted to reach under my wig and fake mustache to scratch because the fake hair was unbelievably itchy and was driving me crazy: 76**

**Number of minutes I was watching Cammie Morgan sit alone and wondered if she ever thought about me: 55**

I'm pretty sure many teenage guys feel some sort of pressure when they're in the same room with their crush- the need to talk to her, that need to look at her and that need to have a tiny, little physical contact.

Let me tell you, assassin-slash-resistance-slash-highly trained Blackthorne Boys are no different. Just that normal civilian boys would've cracked in ten minutes and we could stand a full hour. Or at least until Preston Winters started talking to Cammie and I think I needed to...do something?

"Hey," Preston said as he, Macey and Cammie walked towards an underground tunnel. "Yeah. Itineraries. Doing our part. That's great. I'll walk with." Cammie just gave him a strained smile and nodded. Then I 'accidentally' barged into her.

"Excuse me, miss." I said softly, making sure that there was no Zach-ness in it. I only had a split second to feel her skin on mine's, to be able to look her straight in her hot chocolate eyes and for her dishwater blonde hair to brush against my cheek. She had grown a bit taller, more relaxed and quite a bit tanner where her t-shirt didn't cover so she had these weird tan lines. Her hands had new calluses on it from some sort of work during the summer.

Then I remembered that her file I read half a year ago mentioned something about a temporary home on a ranch in Nebraska.

Once I fell in step behind her, a voice crackled in my ear. It wasn't the head of security detail, though. "Hawk, are you in position?"

"Yes." I mumbled as I followed Cammie, Macey and Preston into an elevator. I remembered the plan- get them up to Level R. All three of them. Because two were a distraction, a confusion to send everyone into a frenzy. That was all I knew. Those were my only orders. The only other thing I could glean was that one of them was a Gallagher Girl. Mom had said nothing more.

"This is Charlie, by the way." Preston gestured to me in the elevator. "Charlie's been with me since…when was it? Missouri, I think?" You would've thought potential First Sons had better memory.

But I didn't say anything and just ran the plan in my head again. Awkward silence hung in the air and Preston whispered, "Good times."

"Did you hit the wrong button?" Cammie asked as the doors of the elevator finally slid open. Beyond the door was just a tiny room where hotel essentials came to die.

"It says 12:05: film promotional video. Service elevator. Level R." Macey read from her sheet of paper and pointed to the big R that was painted on the wall. I felt Cammie's eyes flicker towards me and I wondered for a second if she could see me.

I held up my arm and spoke into my sleeve where the Secret Service had given me the microphone. But the words were for only one comms unit. "Control, I'm with Peacock and Mad Dog. We're on Level R. Are they filming the video here, or has that been changed?" But my brain was saying, '_the target is on the rooftop with the other two. You may move in.'_

"Excellent." A voice I knew too well spoke in my ear.

"They're checking." I looked at Cammie. _Good luck, Gallagher Girl. _

"I bet we're supposed to be out there." Macey walked forwards and opened the door. Preston and Cammie followed her. And before they could look back, I had already bolted the door. _I'm sorry._

* * *

I peered through the small window on the metal door and watched them on the rooftop, sixty floors above the ground. From their body language, I could tell that they knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

They turned to Preston but he just shrugged and held out his palms facing them like he was saying that he was innocent. Cammie frowned and ran towards the door. I ducked down before she saw me and I could see the handle tremble as she tried to force her way through. But she couldn't and she saw the helicopter.

"We've got this, Hawk." Two masked figures came in through the elevator and grinned like there was absolutely nothing wrong with attacking three innocent teenagers on a hotel rooftop.

I nodded stiffly, "I'll leave them to you." And I stepped into the elevator to cut the wires in the control box as the two guys unbolted the door and stepped out into the light.

If I knew the Gallagher Academy's training like I did, Cammie would've chosen the best and easiest escape route off the rooftop- the window washer's plank that was on the side of the building. (I know that because I put it there.) She could've lowered herself to safety, climbed through a hotel window and run to safety.

But if I knew Cammie like I did, she would've chosen the worst and the most risky escape route off the rooftop- the air vent. (I know that because I had checked out the hotel's blue prints.) Before that, she would've guessed that the people in the chopper was after Preston Winters so she would've pushed him onto the window washer plank and stayed on the rooftop to fight with Macey. When she finally accepted the fact that she was overpowered, she would kick open the air vent, jump through it into the room where the elevator was and slide through the laundry chute.

And Cammie would've landed in the laundry room in the middle of some soft, clean and white sheets to cushion her fall. (I know that because I put them there.) She'd be safe, alive. But with _at least_ a couple broken ribs and bones, a cracked skull and lots of bruises.

Then I stood still in the corner, leaning my side against the wall and looking bored, watching Cammie fight outside on the rooftop and eventually appear in the room where the elevator was. She couldn't see me, though. She was too worked up and too distressed that the wires had been cut in the elevator's machine box. I think Macey saw me as she tilted her head because I heard her whisper, "Charlie."

The three Circle agents opened the metal door (because I hadn't locked it again after the two agents had went out) and advanced towards Cammie and Macey. Cammie grabbed a cart and shoved it towards the three agents but one of the agents just stopped it at arms length and tossed it aside like he had been expecting it for his entire life.

"Cam." Macey rasped and pointed to the laundry chute. I half-smiled- she had found a way out. Cammie knew exactly what her sister was talking about and pushed Macey down the chute and she dove in after her. Then I heard a loud and sickening thump echo up the metal chute.

"Good work. We've given them a big enough scare." The female agent said. I could already tell by her ring that it was my mother. She nodded at me, "Catch you later."

But I stayed still in the corner as they exited the room until they were out of earshot and very softly, I whispered into the microphone in my sleeve, "Control, there's something in the laundry room. Check it out."

* * *

"Enjoyed the show?" an elderly woman's voice sounded through the cell phone. Mom was a pretty good actress when she needed to.

"Not as much as you did." I said flatly.

She laughed. "It was simple and easy. My, my, the standards sure have dropped."

"Or maybe you just expected that. You weren't surprised at all." I shot back. "That's why you were there last spring, weren't you? To '_evaluate_'? To see them for yourself?"

"It was necessary…for future encounters." And I heard hardness creep back into her voice. I felt sick hearing that. It was like giving a scent to a bloodhound and making it track down the scent…eventually, kill.

_You disgust me._ I wanted to snarl.

_Let me go, you madwoman. _I wanted to yell.

_I never want to see you again. _I wanted to snap.

But I held onto my cover and said, "Bye."

* * *

The Pros and Cons of Being an Undercover Agent In the Potential First Son's Security Detail:

(A List by Zach Goode)

Pro: You get to stay in really nice hotels and ride awesome limos.

Con: Being on security detail means you have to work on shifts and of course, do counter surveillance procedures. So you have less time to enjoy these cool privileges.

Pro: You get close proximity with Preston Winters, who is a normal civilian boy and you can occasionally 'bond' with him over…normal stuff. Which is nice, for a change.

Con: Being a Blackthorne Boy, you honestly have no experience with this…normal stuff.

Pro: Two words: No school. And no Dr. Steve, for that matter.

Con: You're on a mission and you have absolutely no idea what's the mission objective except for orders to have rendezvous with a senior agent every month. With no mission objective, you can only sit around and wait…and guess…and let yourself worry over which Gallagher Girl the Circle is after.

Pro: The senior agent I'm supposed to rendezvous with is Joe!

Con: Other than monthly meetings, you have barely anything to do, so you'd much rather be studying at school. Even if it means seeing Dr. Steve.

Pro: The potential First Son also came with people to care for his every need and want. No matter how ridiculous, no matter how impossible. So when I asked them to buy a postcard with the picture of the Ruby Slippers from the National Museum of American History, no one did a double take or raise any alarms.

I had a million things to say to Cammie. I wanted her to know that someone might be after her. Or Macey.

I wanted her to know that I had been on a mission to understand Cammie in the spring. And the Circle actually had contact with Gallagher Girls. With so much information about her and them, it was too easy for the Circle to get at either Cammie or Macey.

I wanted her to know that if either one was being targeted, the other would _still _be in potential danger because they were so close. And I would never forgive myself for letting any of them get hurt. Because I promised Joe.

And I wanted her to know that my mom was a part of the Circle and I wanted to beg someone to pull me out of the mission.

But there was only so much space on a postcard so all I could write was: _Be careful. _

And maybe she'd take my word and stay at the Gallagher Academy.

But knowing Cammie, she wouldn't.

* * *

We were called to assemble in the basement of a very nice hotel in Illinois where the Winters-McHenry's campaign group was staying in. (The security detail, not the Circle.)

One of the senior agents cleared his throat and said, "As you all know, Ms. McHenry will be going back to her school on the first of September. Precautions have been taken and she will be assigned an agent to accompany her wherever she goes- at school or on the trail. She will also be in charge of Ms. McHenry's security detail from now on. She'll oversee everything and I trust that all of you, even the ones on Mr. Winter's security detail, will cooperate with her to keep both teenagers safe."

"Abigail Cameron." A new voice sounded behind him. The senior agent stepped aside and the newcomer emerged from the shadows. "Call me Abby." She flashed a beautiful smile and surveyed all of us. From her gaze, I knew she was an expert of the best. She had seen many things. And she was a Gallagher Girl.

Now, if you've been reading this for long enough, I'm sure you know how people look at me. Mom looks at me like I'm 18, young and ready for anything. The Circle agents and Joe looks at me like I'm at least 25, with their level of expertise. Grant and Jonas looks at me like I'm a senior student. And Cammie looks at me like I'm a guy who is a bit older than her and loves to annoy the hell out of her, just for fun. But no one looks at me like my real age- 16.

Except for Abigail Cameron.

When her eyes swept over me, I knew she could see me. I literally shrank. I knew she could see who I really was and I knew she had something to do with Catherine Goode because she mouthed, "You."

* * *

"Liking it here?" Abby walked up to me as I stood in the hotel's restaurant, watching Preston Winters eat. She leaned close to me, "Zach."

I shrugged and replied in my Southern accent, "It's swell."

Abby laughed softly, "I know it's you."

I glanced at her warily, searching her eyes for anything. But she was very good- there was nothing.

Abby waved her hand in front of my face. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about Cammie, aren't you?"

"Does it matter to you?" I arched a bushy eyebrow, genuinely surprised. How did she read me so easily?

"I'm her aunt, I need to know these things."

"So?"

"You're finding her in me. Well, let me tell you, kid. Cammie Morgan's nothing like me. She's nothing like her mother. But she's everything of her old man." Abby smiled but it didn't exactly reach her eyes.

"He and I." Abby nodded and closed her eyes, as if going back to some distant memory that I couldn't decide if she wanted to erase or keep. "We've been after the Circle for a long, long time. He was the one who came closest. It's comforting to know that after so much work, the Circle is still able to send you in here." Her voice was slightly different- hurt, bruised, completely not the bulletproof image she had. And maybe, she was a bit like me.

"Maybe I didn't want to." I whispered.

Abby just gave me an odd look and said, "Do you?"

* * *

**A/N: Well, well, well...look who's back. *points both thumbs to myself and...erm..Zach***

**So that's the first chapter of Zach's POV of Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover. I know it doesn't have much action and stuff but you know, sitting next to the potential First Son doesn't really allow you to go on clandestine missions at the same time. But I think there will be something more interesting later on... I really enjoyed writing Abby, though. She was...interesting. ;) And she kind of reminds me of Zach. You know, the regrets, the cockiness and the teasing. So it was fun. **

**Stay tuned! **

**AwesomePP**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hawk," a Secret Service agent came up to me at breakfast. "Mail's here." He handed me a parcel with absolutely nothing written on it. No return address or recipient. I smiled- I knew exactly who sent it. I tore it open and found the September edition of National Geographic.

I turned the magazine over and spotted the last eight numbers of the bar code: 45284332.

_Page 45. 2__nd__ word. _

_Page 8. 43__rd__ word._

_Page 3. 2__nd__ word. _

I flipped to the three pages and found the three words: Lichen. Oval. Doe. What did those three words mean? It was obvious that Joe was trying to send me something. Was it a warning? Orders for the next mission? I wrote them down on a piece of paper, turning the three words over and over in my head.

_Doe. _Did it mean female deer? I doubted that there was a place in America that had an abundance of does. Wait, D.O.E. _Department of Energy. _The headquarters were in Washington, D.C. Was Joe telling me to meet him in D.C.? No, that couldn't be right- the campaign trail ended in D.C., he could meet me there then. Well, that went nowhere.

_Oval. _Oval office? Also in D.C. Hmm, maybe Joe was really telling me to go to D.C. and drop by the White House.

_Lichen. _If Joe was really asking me to meet him in D.C. for the September rendezvous, somewhere near the White House, then it would be somewhere with loads of lichen around…

I was contemplating on how was I supposed to speed across half the country and back in time for my shift when Preston Winters peered over my shoulder and said, "I thought the Secret Service had better ways of sending secret messages."

I jumped. "What?"

Preston shrugged, pointed to the three words and said, "Lichen, oval, doe. It's an anagram, you know. If you rearrange the letters, you get the words 'Cleveland, Ohio'. That's where we're going next, if you've forgotten."

"Excellent observation, Mr. Winters." I resumed my cover. "How did you think of that?"

"Itinerary." Preston sighed and waved the sheet of paper in the air. "I'm not letting my mother go anywhere near it so I'm allowed to do whatever I want with it. I've been making anagrams of all the words on it, just for fun." Preston grinned bashfully like making anagrams of random words were absolutely normal for a 16-year-old guy like him. I caught a glimpse of his itinerary, it was scribbled with random words like alive, hold and once. (Which also could be scrambled into the words Cleveland, Ohio.) He was such a…nerd.

* * *

Reasons Why The Stop At Cleveland, Ohio Was Extremely Risky For Everyone:

(A List By Zach Goode)

1) Hello, this _is _politics and with the potential President/Vice-President/First Lady/Vice-President's wife/First Son.

2) Macey McHenry was making her first appearance after Boston. Plus, the Circle seemed to have targeted her for some reason.

3) I needed to rendezvous with Joe. I need to take off and put on my wig in the span of twenty seconds and make sure no one notices my absence.

4) When there's one Gallagher Girl, there's usually more. And I'm not just talking about Abigail Cameron. But another girl who also goes by the name of 'Cameron'.

5) The other Gallagher Girl in question is also a target for the Circle. And I have no idea why. But one thing for sure, my money's on Cammie.

* * *

"Peacock is stage-ready and moving." I heard Abby report over the comms. I knew I should've been watching Preston Winters from behind the 'Walk the Walk' banner, just for precautions. From there, I also should've been watching the church steeple for any snipers. But I was in the crowd watching Macey McHenry walk up to the microphone, with my wig and mustache stashed under a potted plant outside the library, because meeting Joe and/or Cammie, was worth the risk.

"It's great being here today." Macey started but it didn't take a trained professional that she was not, in fact, feeling very great. Her dazed gaze swept over the crowd absentmindedly until it stopped in the middle and lighted up. "With my family." I smiled to myself- she had found her sisters.

"And there's something I want to say." Macey continued. I didn't need to follow her gaze to know that she was looking at Cammie. "There's nothing we can't do if we stick together. There's nothing we can't overcome if we try. I learned that from the people who love me. The people who know…the _real_ me." And the crowd went wild.

In my ear, I heard, "Peacock is secure and holding in the yellow tent." I started moving- she was safe, meaning Preston Winters must also be secure with her, meaning no one would notice me if I slipped away to find Joe.

Except for a Gallagher Girl who trusted her instincts above anything else.

I slipped under the bleachers (I knew the guard rotation so I was sure that no one was there) and stood in the shadows until I heard familiar footsteps grow louder. I put my hand on her shoulder and let her flip me on my back. (I let her do that, no matter what anyone says.) I landed on a red balloon and it popped, painfully, under my back.

"Hello, Gallagher Girl." And I prayed that my voice didn't betray the pain that the balloon had caused me.

Cammie was here. I don't know why and I don't know how. And it irks me because I had _specifically _told her to be careful, which means not going campaign rallies in Cleveland, Ohio. But right now, her knees were pressing against my shoulders and her hands clamped my arms onto the ground. And she was staring at me like she wanted to kiss me or kick me at the same time.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl." I said when she didn't say anything. "You gonna let me up now?"

But Cammie wasn't one to take orders, "What are you _doing _here." _I could ask you the same thing,_ I said silently. I debated if I should warn her about the Circle. I wondered if I should just grab her right now and take her somewhere far away, like Switzerland, to keep her safe.

But there's always a chance that I could take down the Circle before they could even touch her (or Macey) so I just smirked and said, "I'm _very _interested in Ohio politics."

Cammie just gave me a look, got to her feet and said, "You can't vote."

"Yeah, but I can campaign." I pointed to the WINTERS-MCHENRY button that I had pinned to my jacket when I dropped my wild eyebrows/mustache/hair disguise.

"You're a long way from Blackthorne." Cammie arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah." I smiled. I was really glad that I was away from that place. "Well, I heard that Macey McHenry was going to be making her first post-convention appearance here today-" I stood and brushed away a piece of confetti that as lodged in her hair. "-And where there's other Gallagher Girls, there are usually others." Absolutely not a lie.

"We're like smoke and fire that way." Cammie said curtly.

My reflex reactions smiled but my mind raced with questions like '_Are you willingly getting yourself into this trouble?' _and '_Or do you even know about it at all?' _and _'Did you take that secret passageway behind the Gallagher family tapestry to sneak out here?' _So I just took shot in the dark and said, "Something like that."

"I thought you vowed to stay out of secret passageways and laundry chutes, but I guess…" I said. And I don't know how many times I apologized in my head as I traced Cammie's greenish-blue bruise on her forehead.

"How did you know about the laundry chute?" Cammie asked.

I couldn't tell her that I was deep undercover and actually had something to do with Boston so I smiled, pointed to myself and said, "Spy."

Then Cammie tilted her head slightly and said, "Bleachers."

Panic raced through me- Cammie was on comms with someone. I forced myself to stay calm,"Bex?"

"Yeah." Good, it wasn't anyone who was highly dangerous.

"So you've got backup?" I asked again. If 'backup' meant more than Bex (and I was sure it was), my whole mission could fall apart. The less people know I'm here, the better. (Rule one of Covert Operations: Keep a low profile.) "The girls are here? And Solomon?"

"Of course they are." Note to self: Find Joe now and get out of here before any more Gallagher Girls see me.

Then something much worse than being spotted by Gallagher Girls happened, "Alpha team, there's movement under the bleachers." _Move! _My training yelled at me to back out of the dark space. There was no way I was risking arrest from the Secret Service. Everything would be over.

"Zach…" Cammie started to say my name but I was already in the sunlight. I could see the Alpha team duck under the bleachers from the other side and backup coming from the left.

"Trouble in paradise?" A familiar voice said. I spun around- Joe.

"She followed." I shrugged.

"She's special." And for the first time, there was something in Joe's eyes that I couldn't identify. It looked like…sympathy?

"So…anything new?" I changed the subject.

"Nothing, just…checking up. You?"

I took a deep breath, "Abby."

Joe smirked. "She giving you trouble?"

"She knows me, that's all."

"That might be trouble." Joe frowned. "You're going to Philadelphia next. Train ride, isn't it?"

"Erm, yeah…" I wondered why Joe would ask such a question.

"I can pull you out from there for a couple of hours and return you the next morning." Joe said. "Train rides are easy- jump off and no one would notice."

"_What?_"

"But that's for later. Wait for my mail." Joe smiled and dissolved into the crowd.

**Then the Operative went to retrieve his disguises in the twenty-second time slot that the Secret Service agents weren't looking and returned to his post behind the banner. He also wondered if his life would ever go close to anywhere normal.**

* * *

There was something you should never, _ever _do in counter surveillance- draw attention to yourself. You should never dress in an expensive, flashy, stylish or bright way. And you should never do something incredibly abrupt with no good reason.

So I'm sorry to say that Cammie Morgan had broke all of these rules in a single night.

It wasn't hard to notice that someone in a _very _short, black dress showing legs that seemed to stretch on forever was spinning around suddenly in the crowd (and she looked quite distracted with something that she bumped into the same time for three times and on the third encounter, the man had no choice but to politely push her away). And I had studied makeup before- her eye color was a bit off and reflected a bit too much light under the suspended lights in the train station. And people don't sweat excessively at hairlines so she was definitely wearing a wig. (My wig was made of state-of-the-art material, which provided excellent ventilation so I didn't sweat abnormally, thank you very much.) But the dead giveaway would have to be her fake nose- I could see the lines along the bridge of her real nose. If she had used a brand-new and professional fake nose, it would be rather impossible to tell so she could only be using something that had probably been in the Subs for quite a while.

"We're fashionably late," Abby mumbled into the comms. "Everyone standby- the train's coming in."

Exactly five seconds later, an old-fashioned steam train draped in patriotic colors cruised into the station. 497 people went wild. 54 Secret Service's agents' eyes were on the six people that stepped out from the caboose and started to wave to the crowd. While everyone's attention was on them, 2 people slipped away simultaneously. 1 person followed.

And that one person was someone who trusted her instincts above everything else and started following me. _Again. _

But at that moment, I was Hawk, a guy with wild, white facial hair who had never seen the Gallagher Girl who was currently walking about twenty feet behind me as I entered the dark tunnel to find Joe already waiting there.

"I presume you figured it out." Joe said.

"I loved it." I smirked.

"You'll have a lot of fun this time." Joe smiled along with me.

"Except for what's at the end." I growled.

Joe sighed, "You can't run away from Catherine forever."

"And Dr. Steve." I added. "He'll be there, I'm sure."

"I doubt you'd like Abigail Cameron to uncover you in the middle of 55 Secret Service agents." Joe chuckled.

"54." I corrected him. "The 55th agent is me."

"Right." Joe nodded. "Good luck. And remember, eight minutes."

"Will do." I murmured as Joe walked down the dark tunnel.

* * *

The saying of 'there's always a light at the end of the tunnel' is usually correct. Especially in my case when the light let me see a shadow behind me as I walked towards the closest entrance of the steam train. The shadow was teetering a bit unsteadily and I was transported to a certain Friday evening in the spring at the top of the Grand Staircase.

There was no turning back now- Cammie had found me. So I mentally surrendered to her, tore off my wig and changed my gait to 'sixteen-year-old' instead of 'close to thirty something'.

Being undercover in the Secret Service detail had its perks, like I knew all the details of the train, just in case any of the protectees needed an emergency exit. For example, I knew the service hatch that was currently open, waiting for a fresh cart of food and champagne to be rolled inside. So I quickly ducked behind the food cart and slipped into the service hatch. Apparently, Joe also knew about the hatch because leaning against the wall of the train, right next to the small opening, was a small backpack. I smiled, grabbed it, slung it over my back and made my way to compartment 14. (Another perk of being an undercover Secret Service agent- you know for a fact that Peacock was outside, doing a speech and whatever daughters of senators do. And I knew Cammie was going to find whichever compartment her best friend was in.)

It took around 3 minutes for Cammie to find compartment 14. I was standing in the darkness, waiting, as the doorknob moved but the door didn't open since I locked it. (I couldn't have the wrong person barging in, could I?)

_Five minutes._

"Ms. McHenry? Are you in there? May I have a word?" I could hear Cammie's Southern accent float through the door.

"Absolutely, a four-hundred-foot perimeter would be ample." Abby's hard voice cut in and I panicked if Abby had discovered her. Luckily, my guess was wrong as I heard something thing wriggling in the keyhole and the doorknob turning. During the split second the door was ajar, I could see Abby only a couple of footsteps away from the compartment door so I reached for Cammie while I slammed the door shut and locked it. But Cammie dodged my hand so I went for her wig. At the last second, I remembered that I wasn't supposed to know that Cammie was tailing me so I looked at her wig then back to her and back to the wig.

"You aren't supposed to be here, Gallagher Girl." I was surprised how hard my voice sounded but I realized that it was true- I was kind of mad at her for being here. And I was sure that this time, she wasn't here with Joe on an op.

"You're telling _me_ that _I_ shouldn't be here?" Cammie snapped and I thanked my lucky stars that the Secret Service (or Abby) didn't blast the door open.

"It's dangerous." I said. _There are almost 500 people out there, the Circle could either grab you or Macey and no one would notice._

"In that case you haven't noticed, I can take care of myself." The train lurched and Cammie lost her balance. Before she could fall face-first on the floor, I caught her. In other situations, I would've enjoyed holding her like this but I had a hunch that the Circle was after her and she was very under protected. (Not to mention, I was under a eight-minute deadline.)

Oh, wait.

_Four minutes. _

Cammie started to pull away but I didn't loosen my grip, "Shhh." And thankfully, the voices faded.

"Nice disguise." I told her, smiling.

"You too." She said a bit grudgingly. "It looked even better in Boston."

I could almost laugh at that, "Yeah, I-" Knocking on the door. And Cammie's eyes grew wide.

"Here." I pointed at the collapsible bed as more knocking sounded.

Then someone yelled, "Who's got a key for this?" And the door opened the split second before the bed folded into place.

_Three minutes. _

"What's going on, Zach?" Cammie whispered. But I didn't answer- someone had entered the compartment and I did not want to be discovered.

"Macey, I don't want to argue about this anymore. Just wait in here." Abby's voice was tired.

"You were in Boston, Zach." Cammie insisted.

"Shhh." I hushed her and pulled her closer to me (I wondered if the close proximity thing still worked with Cammie because if it did, it would help a lot. Like now.)

"You know, I've been told this is my best suit." I recognized Preston Winters' voice.

"_That's _how you knew about the laundry chute." Cammie whispered angrily. "Why were you there, Zach?"

_My whole mission is going to fall apart if you don't keep quite, Cammie! _I wanted to yell at her. But I couldn't so I said, "Not now."

"And don't say it was because we were in danger, because at the time we weren't in any danger." _You don't know how majorly wrong you are, Gallagher Girl. _

"You want to take a nap or something?" I hissed.

"Yeah, and while we're on the subject, why are you _here_?" Cammie plowed on. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"I could ask the same thing of you, Gallagher Girl, except we should be _shutting up_ now." Unfortunately, it wasn't me that made Cammie fall silent but the…erm…awkward kissing noises from outside. And then you could cut the sexual tension with a knife because, like Cammie, I was literally in 100% proximity with someone I'd kissed.

_Two minutes. _

"What were you and Mr. Solomon talking about?" _My escape route from here that takes place in barely more than five minutes. _

"You don't get it, do you?" Despite the cramped space, I twisted around to look Cammie in the eye. I wanted to shake some sense into her because especially after what happened in Boston, she should not be walking around Philadelphia unguarded. (Macey had an excuse because she had to be here and she had a security detail.) "This is dangerous, Cammie. This is-"

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out the day I woke up with a concussion."

"Don't make light out of this." _I might not be there to save you every time, Gallagher Girl._

"What about 'concussion' is synonymous with 'making light'?"

"You shouldn't be here." I repeated. She should be getting the message now that something big, something horrible and something _evil _was targeting either her or her best friend. Two of them together weren't the best option.

"_You're _here."

"Listen, this is no place for…"

"A girl?" I winced.

"A student?" Cammie continued. "What, Zach? Tell me what you are that I'm not." _An assassin. A killer. Do you really want to know that, Cammie?_

I thought of Dr. Steve, Mom, the crazy training sessions with the Circle and drills I went through at Blackthorne. "I'm someone who doesn't have anything to lose." That was correct. I could throw my whole life away and I wouldn't have cared. At all. But Cammie, she had friends who she could share her deepest secrets with, she had a loving family who supported her and she had a bright future in front of her as a CIA agent. I touched Cammie's face and for the first time, I wondered if my mother had any chance to be like her.

Then the world turned upside down and Macey McHenry raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, _this_ wasn't on my agenda."

_One minute. _

"Ms. McHenry!" A voice shouted from outside. "Secret Service! Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I just knocked over a tray." Macey said after giving us a very long and strange look.

"Shall we send a porter to-"

"No!" Macey said, annoyed. "I want to be alone, or is that too hard to understand?" And the footsteps faded.

"Hi, Zach." Macey smirked as she sat down.

"Hey, Macey." I said nonchalantly. "Sorry to drop in but Cammie just had to be alone with me. You know how she gets." Then she smacked my arm.

"You know, you're going to hurt me one of these days, and then you're going to feel really bad about it."

_50 seconds. _

"Yeah. Well, maybe if you would be honest with me for one-" Cammie started.

"Um, just so you know," Macey interrupted. "Abby will back in approximately two minutes, so you lovebirds might want to make this quick."

_Forty seconds. _

I placed a knee to the window and leaned towards the darkness. Joe had mentioned a ravine at the bottom and we were almost on top of it. "This is my stop anyway."

"Hey, McHenry, you mind?" I gestured towards the door and I stepped back, bracing myself.

"Oh, officer. Can I see your gun?" Macey called to the sentry that was standing guard outside. Once the guard turned is back, I sprinted out the hall and to the end of the car.

_Thirty seconds. _

I stopped and turned to Cammie who had followed me out. "Hey Gallagher Girl. Promise me something." I memorized her face. She was perfectly fine right now and I didn't want her to forget that. For all I knew, this was the last time I saw her in one piece, alive and healthy. I stepped closer to her, "Be-" and touched the place where she was bruised in the laundry chute fall. "-Careful."

Then I opened the car door. The wind rushing around us was deafening and I checked that the train was moving across a ravine. Just like Joe said.

_Twenty seconds. _

I spread my arms wide and before gravity took over, I glanced at Cammie.

Then I was falling.

I counted three seconds before pulling on a cord on my backpack. Suddenly, the straps of the bag cut into my underarms and something navy colored blossomed above me.

_Fifteen seconds. _

I was falling a bit slower now and I could see a large tree coming closer with a road beside it.

_Ten…nine…eight…seven…six...five…four…three…two…one. _

I stopped falling and watched my legs dangle in midair for a moment. Then I pulled out a Swiss Army knife that thankfully hadn't sprung open and cut through the cords of the parachute. Once I had sliced through the last rope, I dropped onto the ground…in front of a black, shiny Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. It gleamed in the moonlight- silent, waiting to pounce.

I smirked- the Circle certainly knew how to use its tools.

* * *

Only four seconds later, I was racing forwards at a speed of 100 km/h on the highway, making my way back to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I leaned back into the soft leather of the driver's seat and watched the countryside turn into city lights in less than an hour (the Lamborghini only weighted 1410 kg, it was pretty darn light).

I parked the car in front of the station (an agent would take care of it) and took the elevator to the roof. The roof of the station was large enough to land a small aircraft and in this case, a white Sikorsky X2. Fastest helicopter in the world and it was empty, waiting for me. I immediately seated myself in front of the controls, did a standard pre-flight check and slowly, the blades started to make their rhythmic chopping. I pushed it to its limit- a whopping 250 knots and within three hours, I landed in front of the Blackthorne waterfall.

Waiting for me on the grass were two people and one of them mouthed at me, "_Welcome home, Zach."_

__**A/N: I have to say, this is one of my favorite chapters because I had the luxury of daydreaming about Zach Goode behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Gallardo. Imagine this- long fingers gripping the black leathered steering wheel, a beam of streetlights falling onto toned, muscular arms and highlighting the sharp and chiseled cheekbones, a strong jaw and the dark eyes fixed on the road. If you want to get a better picture, Google a pic of a 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo. And just so you know, the Gallardo is one of my dream cars and it came out in 2009 so the time doesn't clash with the story (I checked the publishing date on my book and it said 'First Scholastic Book Clubs Printing, September 2010'. So there you go, Zach could've totally gotten his hands on a Gallardo.) It's the same with the Sikorsky X2 helicopter, it was available sometime in early 2010 so again, the Circle could've bought the first model of it or something. **

**Secondly, the National Geographic magazine. No, I am not sure if the words 'lichen, oval, doe' are really there for the September 2010 issue, okay? And I doubt that the barcode number is correct, that number that I used was actually the barcode number of my copy of DJGC. **

**Last but not least, I thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed. I appreciate every single one of my readers and I wish all of you good luck coping with the fact that Ally Carter has not released much about her sixth and last book for this series. **

**Cheers, **

**AwesomePP**

**P.S. I've started reading 'Heist Society' by Ally Carter as well and if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do because IT. IS. FREAKING. EPIC. **


	3. Chapter 3

"Look what the cat dragged in." One of the figures sneered.

"Professor Devereux, I didn't expect to see you here." I feigned a smile. "Or are we on the same side now?" I glanced at the other figure- Dr. Steve.

He shrugged, "He came up with the plan."

"That, I would like to know, thank you very much." I snapped. "I've been sitting next to Preston Winters for almost three months and all I get are orders that seventh graders could carry out."

**The Operative utilized the power of guilt on Dr. Steve and the professor.**

Dr. Steve held up a hand, "First things first, why did you send up the emergency signal?"

"One of agents saw me," I said. "Abigail Cameron."

"She's given us a lot of trouble over the past years." Dr. Steve said. "I believe it's time to eliminate her."

You know those moments when you know you're absolutely horrified at something but you just have to deal with it? Yeah, this was one of those moments. Saying '_I didn't mean that'_ would make Dr. Steve think that something was wrong with me. Asking _'How?' _would make them suspicious. And saying _'looking forward to that' _would just make them think I'm a madman.

So I only could say, "Anything else to tell me?"

"In the second week of November, the campaign trail will end at Washington D.C. The votes will be cast and the new president will be elected." Professor Devereux said. "All the eyes of the world will be there that night- every major television channel, every major newspaper will be there to spread the news to the rest of the planet. That is our leverage."

"Leverage for what?" I demanded.

"Let me ask you this, Zach." Devereux continued. "If one of Cameron Morgan's friends were kidnapped, would she do anything in her power to save them?"

"Yes...she would." I said uncertainly. Then it all clicked into place. They were after both Gallagher Girls. The Circle would get Macey on the night of the elections and once she was missing, word would spread the fastest and the quickest. And Cammie wasn't one to sit back and let the intelligence agencies of the world do all the work. In other words, Macey was bait for Cammie. This was just plain sick. This was so…Devereux.

"We'll get Macey McHenry when she is most vulnerable. It would be pointless to get her when she's at the Gallagher Academy." Dr. Steve explained.

"What did I have to do with this?" I said, the words bitter on my tongue.

"Make sure that nothing goes wrong. I want you to find the security protocols of the election night, sabotage the plans so we can move in and find a way to get Macey McHenry." Devereux said like he was talking about the weather. He reached into his pocket and a thumb drive glinted in the moonlight. He tossed it in the air and I caught it.

"This is an Autohack USB, once plugged in, it'll copy every document. It's undetectable- if the computer has an automatic wipe, it won't work on this one. The Secret Service should never have used computers for their work, it's too easy to trick." Devereux smirked.

I turned the USB over in my hand, "How much time will you need?"

"Two to three minutes will be ample." Dr. Steve said softly, I could barely hear him over the roar of the waterfall.

"I'll find a way in." I felt nothing saying it because I was already slipping away. I was too numb to feel anything. I had probably signed the death warrant of Macey McHenry, Abigail Cameron and Cammie Morgan. I slipped the USB into my jacket pocket, it felt heavy and ice cold.

As the helicopter rose into the air and the night sky covered me, I could feel the doubts growing in my head. _Was it worth it? Were three, innocent lives worth taking down the Circle? Was it worth it for the greater good? Were my good intentions worth Cammie? _I leaned against the leather seat of the cockpit and I could feel the thudding of my heartbeat. It vibrated through my ribcage and sounded in my ears. _What was the point of having a heart when I couldn't even use it? _

So I uttered the three words that I had sworn to never say, "I don't know."

* * *

The rest of October passed in a rush- tensions were running high. Everything was a whirl of desperation, anticipation and excitement. To others, the election night would be the night that marked the fall or victory of the two democratic parties. Some people would get the chance of their lifetime while the others would get a humiliated defeat. Some people would get a rush of ecstasy while others would be drowned in sentiment. But I felt dead. Election night would be the test of humanity for me.

Every time I closed my eyes, I would be on the train in Philadelphia. I was standing on the edge of the train door, looking at Cammie. She was fine and not the least bit harmed. To see her unscathed- was that too much to ask? The simplicity of my question broke my heart.

I was even debating if I still wanted to see Joe at the rendezvous in the last week of October. I was supposed to give Joe all the details, he would pass it on to Mom and…I don't even want to think of what would happen next. I was tempted to lie, to feed them false information and let them get caught.

No, the Circle would be too good. They'd still have back up, they'd still have people to go after Cammie and/or Macey and they'd be going after me as well. Everything would be in vain.

I read the flyer that had came through the mail for about the millionth time. It was advertising a football game at the Roseville football stadium. Joe had circled the picture of the stadium in a red inked pen. Next to it were the words: _Come back. _

It was an easy enough message. He would be waiting there for me to report the plan to get in. The '_coming back' _was just his reminder of our exchange program in the spring. But to me, '_come back' _were probably two words that I could never understand for the rest of my life.

* * *

I dropped the thumb drive into Joe's hand. "There's a side door of the main ballroom that heads out to the street. The Secret Service will have roadblocks and perimeters there. I've already tweaked the guard rotations for a four minute time slot at 7.27 pm. The lights will be off so the cameras won't see anything. Get your vans or whatever you need and enter from the north. Macey and I'll be there."

"How will you get her out?" Joe asked.

"I'll lie." I swallowed. "I'll pretend to ask her something about Cammie."

But I must've sounded like a dead stag because Joe frowned and said, "Are you all right, Zach?"

"They're after Cammie," I whispered. "After all this time, they were after her. Not Macey." I lowered my gaze onto the red colored track of the stadium as people continued to mill around us. The cheerleaders were doing their routines, people were laughing and talking. The noise was louder than anything that I've ever heard.

But I could still hear Joe talking, "Do you want in or out?"

"I don't know. All of the lying and schemes and…" I trailed off, unable to finish. "I don't even know which side I'm on now."

Joe placed a hand on my shoulder, "Listen, Zach. The day you stop caring for Cammie, is the day you turn against me."

I didn't know how to react to that so I just let out a shaky breath and said, "I think Tina Walters might be finished with her assignment."

Joe gave me a look then nodded slowly, "Alright, then. Get ready for Tuesday." Then went back to stand next to the flagpoles. I started to walk away when the skin on the back of my neck started to prickle- it was the feeling when two people who don't like each other very much meet…again. I turn around and spotted a familiar mop of sandy brown hair. _Jimmy. _He was walking pushing through the crowds then my gaze fell a little way behind him on a girl that I had never seen before. But there was something familiar about how she walked and how her she looked at Jimmy. And I didn't like it.

…Cammie.

There was also another girl- red, frizzy hair and large glasses. She was struggling to keep up with Cammie. Macey McHenry with colored contacts, make up and a wig. The only thing familiar about her was her high and sharp cheekbones. I cursed under my breath. Those two should not be out here.

I pushed through the crowd and grabbed her arm, "What are you doing here, Gallagher Girl?" A convertible was heading towards us and I pulled her out of the track.

"CoveOps assignment." She said. "You?"

"I thought you weren't supposed to leave school." I shot back.

"Yeah, because _you're_ so into sticking around campus these days. Seriously, Zach, do you ever stay at Blackthorne?" Cammie asked sarcastically.

I didn't answer because I had barely spent a day on the Blackthorne campus in the past four months. So I just said, "I had a feeling you might try something like this. Just tell me…" I remembered the prickling on the back of my neck. "Just tell me you didn't do this to see Jimmy."

"Josh." Cammie corrected me. "No. I'm just…here." I relaxed or until Cammie asked, "Why were you in Boston, Zach? Why are you here Zach?" She stepped closer; looking into my eyes with her warm, brown ones. I knew she wanted me to do something nice- tease her, flirt with her or just smile reassuringly but I knew what was coming for her and she wouldn't want me anymore.

I just stepped back and took her hand, "Come on, we're taking Macey home."

"_We're _not doing anything." Cammie said firmly. This was the worst time she could be stubborn.

"Fine," I turned away. "_I'll _go find Solomon, get his opinion."

"Zach." She started but I spun around.

"Do you even know who's out there?" I almost yelled. "Do you even care?" _Because if you don't care, I care. I just want you to keep you safe. I care a lot more than anyone realizes because…I like you. But if you actually want to be kidnapped by the Circle, there's nothing that I can do to stop you._

"The Circle of Cavan is after my sisterhood, Zach. Not yours. They're hunting my friends. They're sending Gallagher Girls down laundry chutes, so don't show up here and lecture me about what's at stake." She ranted. I drew in a frustrated breath. If only she knew what was really going on. "If Ioseph Cavan's followers want to settle the score with Gillian Gallagher's great-great-great-granddaughter, then they're going to deal with all of us, an that doesn't necessarily include you."

Cammie slowly shook her head, her eyes were filled with fear and confusion. "Why do I feel like I can't trust you anymore?" Her words slammed into me like a well-placed roundhouse kick in the gut. Simply speaking, it was the first thing that anyone said to me that actually…_hurt. _

"Because the Gallagher Academy doesn't admit fools." I said softly as I leaned closer. Then I straightened up and glanced at the girl with the large glasses and the frizzy hair behind Cammie.

"The family tie to Roseville." Macey said quietly. Her voice was broken.

"Macey." Cammie turned around and gasped.

"Does this mean…" Macey looked like she was about to break down. Her lip was shaking and she sounded on the verge of tears. "You knew about this? How long have you known about this?"

"Yeah, my mom told us last-"

"Us!" Macey flinched. "Does the whole school know?"

"No! Just Bex and Liz and me. Mom explained all that after you got accepted. She-"

"So I'm Gillian Gallagher's descendant? So _that's _why they let me on."

"Macey, it's not-"

"True?" Macey retorted icily. Even behind her colored contacts, I could see blue fire flashing. Then she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Macey!" Cammie shouted. But my hand kept her beside me.

"Cam-" I started.

"Not now, Zach." She snapped and she wrenched her hand out of mine's. Then she melted into the crowd after Macey. Two seconds later, there was no trace of Cammie or Macey. I just stood there and closed my eyes. _What had I done?_

__**A/N: I honestly have nothing much to say about this. This chapter is basically all of Zach's regrets and doubts all crashing down on him. And after writing this, I just want to hug him so tightly with no intention of letting go because I want to tell him how much he means to me and and how much I care about him and I just want to take away all the bad things in his life and replace them with good things. (Yeah, after spending a better part of August with him, Zach is kind of my older brother or something. I've grown quite attached to him.) **

**Cheers,**

**AwesomePP**

**P.S. Again, this is the second last chapter for 'Ten Of Diamonds'. It's quite a short one- only four chapters long. So...who wants a Zach POV of Only the Good Spy Young? ;) (If I do decide to write OGSY, it will be fairly long and I might be thinking of Zach meeting new Circle recruits at the Blackthorne Institute. But that's still undecided yet...) **


	4. Chapter 4

A man with wild, white hair and an equally strange mustache stood in the male bathroom, gazing at his reflection. His eyes were dark and tired. His mouth was a straight line, like he knew something bad was going to happen. He reached up as if to stroke his mustache but instead, he jerked his hand and tore off the strip of white hair. Then his hand went behind his head and pulled- his white hair came off like a hood. The 'close to thirty something' man was transformed into a sixteen year old. He stared into the mirror again and he was staring at…me.

I had already ditched my Secret Service black tux and exchanged it for a pair of comfy sneakers, an navy Armani Exchange button up shirt and a warm jacket. Not flashy but still fitted in.

It was election night- 7.20pm. Showtime.

* * *

"Hawk, turn around. _Turn around._" An excited voice sounded in my ear. I did as I was told, casually shifting my position to look like I was studying the map of America on the wall.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." Mom drawled in my ear. "Cammie Morgan, I live and breathe." _What? WHAT? _Why was Cammie here? She had absolutely no business being at the presidential watch party.

But sure enough, she was standing in the middle of the crowd, talking to Preston Winters. And Mom had seen her. I cursed in my head, was Satan out to get me today?

"Change of plans. Cut to the chase- let's get her. Hawk, you know what do to." Mom sounded like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Copy that." I muttered, not caring if my comms unit picked it up.

_Two minutes until impact. _

Cammie's back was facing me. She was talking with Bex, Liz and Macey. Macey glanced behind Cammie's shoulder. I saw a glint in her eyes and I read her lips, "_What's new with Zach?" _

Cammie said something and Macey shrugged, "_It happens." _

Then Liz protested in a loud voice, "No, Cam! Maybe he's just…"

"_Well, now's your chance to find out." _Macey said, pointed in my direction and Cammie turned around.

"I heard someone's playing hooky," I teased as Cammie walked up to me.

"There's a boy in my life," she said sarcastically. "He's a very bad influence."

I nodded. "Bad boys have a way of doing that. But they're worth it."

Then I leaned close and said, "Can I talk to you?" She nodded and I took her hand. I glanced back for a second and caught Bex's eye. I mouthed to her, '_Follow us in a minute.' _Bex frowned but gave me the slightest of nods. Then I started to lead Cammie towards the side door. Every muscle in me was screaming to let go, to take her in the opposite direction and protect her from the cold voice in my ear that was saying, "Dr. Steve, stand by."

_One minute until impact._

We stepped outside and frigid air blew around us in the dark. Cammie wrapped her arms around her chest. I took off my jacket and draped it around Cammie's shoulders. My hands rested on her warm shoulders a moment longer than I intended to because I was afraid that she would dissolve into the wind before my eyes.

But the jacket around her shoulders weren't because Cammie was feeling cold. It was a signal to the Circle- _this is the target. Get her. _

Cammie turned around and asked, "Why were you in Boston?"

I stepped back, shook my head and looked down the ground- the truth would kill her. "There are things I can't tell you, Gallagher Girl."

"Can't? Or _won't?"_ She said sharply.

I didn't answer and just looked into her eyes. _What's the difference? _

"Tell me." Cammie's voice was almost lost in the wind.

I stood there, keeping my face as emotionless as possible. "There are some things that you don't want to know." _Don't make me say it, Cammie. Don't make me say anything. _

Then I heard Macey yell from behind me, "Cam!"

_Zero hour. _

_Lights out._

The streetlamps flickered once and went out. The three buildings around to us immediately disappeared into the dark.

_Incoming. _

I could hear the van's tires crunching on the asphalt and Cammie shouting, "Macey!"

She ran towards her friend as Macey stood in the van's way, standing frozen like a deer caught in headlights. Literally.

"Run!" Cammie screamed but it was too late. The van had spun ninety degrees, the doors were already open and I could see familiar shapes of agents leaning out. I could her see her outline in the dark- so small, so alone, so fragile. I swore I could catch a small flash of her brown eyes before the van turned and she disappeared.

"Cammie!" I yelled. And I don't think any amount of description could fit the terror I felt.

"Cammie!" Bex yelled again as we skirted the van to reach her.

"Macey!" I don't think I'd ever forget Cammie's voice that night. It sounded like it was tortured. "Save Macey." Then we saw her, or at least we saw a man grabbing her from behind and shoving a rag into her mouth. Liz and Bex launched themselves at the man, kicking and scratching while Macey was blocking blows from another agent.

I reached down to take the rag out of Cammie's mouth. I was about to take her hand and run when a foot flew close to my ear. I ducked just in time and spun around, doing a strong back kick. But to my dismay, I had hit empty air. The man had reacted with fantastic speed, bending his body in a way that seemed impossible. He tried to give me a savage punch to the gut and I blocked it with my arm. His moves were familiar, almost predictable for me. Of course, I had trained beside him. I swung around again, putting all my strength into it and kicked him squarely in his solar plexus. He doubled back and I lunged forward to knock him out in the sweet spot above his eye where the skull was thinnest. And he crumpled to the ground.

I turned around, expecting another attacker but instead, I saw evil in another form- it was Devereux. I could recognize him from his shoulders and his long chin. He was holding a 9mm Browning, commando style and was aiming it at a running figure. The figure seemed to be running too quickly in the dark to get hit. It was near impossible that a bullet could be fired accurately at her but Devereux was an instructor at the Blackthorne Institute. He never missed. And the crisp gunshot split the freezing air.

"No!" Cammie screamed but the figure had already fallen.

Abby.

Abby had fallen to the pavement, Macey had also dropped by her side, tears streaking down her face. Cammie was lying on the ground, half curled up, her eyes roaming around without focusing on anything. Her whole frame was shaking from heavy breathing. Against the frost-covered pavement, I don't think she could've looked tinier and vulnerable than she did then.

"Get her out of here!" Joe suddenly appeared out of the dark with the headmistress.

"Now!" Rachel Morgan yelled and I knew the words were meant for me.

I reached for Cammie's arm but she jerked it out of my grasp and aimed a front kick at me.

She tried to yell, "Get…" Her whole body was swaying, maybe from the drug-soaked rag or maybe from the shock.

"_Gallagher Girl." _I said firmly and held my hands towards her. Cammie stopped moving and seemed to remember where was she. I felt her hand find mine's and I pulled her to her feet.

"Run." I said desperately.

But Cammie kept pulling against me, "Abby." I didn't let her go, though. I kept leading her to the hotel door that was had come through. Beyond that, there would be backup, there would be paramedics and we would be safe. But before that…a face. A face that I had seen during the breaks. A face that had seen me training with the Circle. A face that had seen me with my mother. He was just…standing there with a gun, in front of the way to safety. I stopped and I felt Cammie bump into my shoulder. I instinctively stood one step in front of Cammie, trying to shield her if the man decided to kill any of us on the spot.

The masked man seemed to relax his position but his eyes still couldn't believe what he saw, "You?"

I held my gaze against his and my message was clear- _Let us go. Leave. _

Then the man fled into the night. And the rest of us did too. The time slot was over earlier than we expected. The Secret Service were quickly surrounding the area. The van doors slammed shut and sped away. The Circle agents melted into the dark. I let go of Cammie and she was immediately in her mother's arms. No one's focused on me so I backed into the shadows as well. Before I turned to run, I caught a glimpse of Devereux slinking into the bushes next to me. I slammed my knee into his back, pushing him onto the asphalt. I rammed the heel of my palm into the back of his head and I felt him go limp. With one last burst of energy, I shoved him towards the Secret Service agents and I stumbled back into the cold November night.

* * *

"Overall, it was unsuccessful mission." Mom said coldly. "Maybe we were outnumbered. Or maybe someone tipped the Secret Service off. Or maybe they were better than we expected. We need to rethink, retrain and reanalyze. We are against people who shouldn't be underestimated." Her icy gaze swept over everyone in the dimly lit space. "Dismissed." The agents got up to leave. I stood up as well and started to walk away.

"Zach, stay back for a minute." Mom called and I turned.

"Yes?" I said stiffly.

She leaned in close and whispered, "Professor Devereux was caught by the Secret Service. Do you know what happened to him?"

"No." I lied.

"He was a very good operative." Mom lifted her chin and said in a hard undertone. "He wouldn't have gotten caught."

I shrugged, "You can't always get lucky."

Mom studied me for a moment longer and said, "Remember, there's a call-in a week before Christmas."

"Is it training?" I asked.

"No, it's a proper gathering. The whole cell will be there." She answered. She smiled humorlessly, "Christmas dinner for us, I suppose."

I nodded and walked away. But it turns out that I wasn't the only one who stayed behind.

"We have to do something." Joe said after Mom was out of earshot, falling in step beside me. "Devereux might talk and…"

"He saw us." I finished.

Joe nodded, "Me, at least. He wouldn't dare give you out. You're Catherine's son." I cringed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Doesn't matter. What's the plan?" I asked.

Joe took a deep breath and tilted his head upwards like he was thinking about something in the past, "Matthew. Matthew had something…" He trailed off, lost in thought.

"Cammie's dad?" I glanced up at Joe.

"Yeah…him." Joe said softly. Then he seemed to snap back from the past and continued. "Speaking of Cammie, she's going to London for Christmas with the Baxters."

I furrowed my brow. "Why do I need to know that?"

"Just in case." Joe half-smiled and he was swallowed by the dark.

* * *

Abby looked unusually pale against the white blankets of the Inova Fairfax Hospital. Her entire right side was wrapped in white bandages. Tubes and wires were taped to her body to a familiar machine that bleeped rhythmically next to her. I sighed heavily and sat down in the hard plastic chair next to her bed.

"I'm sorry." My voice cracked. "I knew something was going to happen to you but…" I buried my head in my hands. "If I saw the bullet coming, I…I would've took it and…" I couldn't even seem to form full sentences. "I should've stopped it…"

I looked up and continued, "They caught him. They've gotten Devereux. He's in CIA custody now. That was the least I could do." I stood up and I spotted a familiar jacket folded neatly at the foot of her bed. I reached into my pocket and took out a scrap of paper and a pen. I wrote '_Have fun in London. –Z' _and slipped it into one of the pockets.

But before I left Abby's room, I took out my fake, white mustache and placed it on top of the jacket.

I smiled and said softly, "You know what to do."

**A/N: And...that's a wrap for 'Ten Of Diamonds'. I have to say, despite the shortness of this fic, it was the hardest to write yet. I think I was really pushing way beyond my abilities so... I hope I've done well on this. Overall, it was quite amazing to write it and see all the reviews/alerts/subscriptions. :) But most of all, I think I've matured while writing this fic. Maybe because I took a deeper look into humanity. Maybe because I'm spending so much time with a guy that's four years older than me. Or maybe because the guy in questions just has a huge influence on my life. ;) **

**Once again, I don't know how to thank everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited (especially the ones who have stuck with me since 'Zach In Shining Armor') because you guys...one word: SPECTACULAR! Every time I get an email saying I have a review/favorite, I just read the message over and over again because sometimes, I feel like it's really too good to be true. *Wipes away a happy tear* **

**Good news: Zach POV of Only the Good Spy Young will be out soon (hopefully)! It's going to be a lot longer (probably) and more action (maybe...)! It's going to be called 'Wolf Moon'. It sounds very Native American, right? But try to guess what it means before reading the whole fic. (PM me your guesses or write it in a review, if you want.) **

**The bad news is...I might be going on holiday soon and I have a medical appointment for my eyes so erm, you may have to wait for a teensy while before 'Wolf Moon' comes out. Sorry! **

**Cheers (and hugs and butterbeers),**

**AwesomePP **


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